The Comeback... that's apt (although Madonna seems to be more a brand than an artist). Ray of Light was ok IMO (good production, distractingly-inane lyrics), but her next album was almost universally panned. I'm not a big fan overall, but I have to admit the single that's been circulating from her upcoming album is pretty catchy in a "gay danceclub" kinda way (a low-fi version is the BGM to her site).

She hires the best talent in the business so making listenable product should be easy.

But, I don't think there's been a Madonna song that can't be improved by someone else providing the vocals.

She's a lousy singer, she would have been a great producer/impresario for a woman with a better singing voice, but she requires the spotlight for herself so to listen to the great music she makes you have to listen to her less than mediocre singing as well.

You know, I watched a part of her new documentary the other day and there is a scene where she is sitting in a hotel room and talking directly to the camera about some books she is reading and she has almost no makeup on. She has large and stylish reading glasses perched on her nose, and her hair is dressed simply and pulled back off of her face. She looks her age (nothing wrong with that), she looks astonishingly beautiful and far, far prettier than in Valerie Cherish mode.

Anyway, I like her but that has to do with my age and growing up with her music, it's comfortable and reminds me of different periods of my life. What I think is really funny is that my father, a nice quiet Indian gentleman, once said, "you have to admire her. She's lived her life, she's made mistakes, and now she has nice kids and a nice life. You have to admire her."

Well, maybe you had to be there. It was very sweet when he said it: he never pays attention to pop culture things.

I like her music. There I said it. I like Madonna's easy listening pop music. So what if I'm not a sophisticated connoiseur of music. What's good music to me? Something that doesn't give me a headache and Madonna does not give me a headache.

MD Thanks for sharing that tidbit about your father with us. Sweet. Reminds me of my father (older Vietnamese/Chinese gentleman) and my relationship with him.